#doll studies

for research purposes, we have obtained The Collector's History of Dolls. we are not collectors (not at present) and yet this was the only book about the history of dolls in our library. they had to get it out of storage for us, which took several days.

we had hoped to get it in time to refer to it in The Dolls Ask for Nothing. but since we did not, we shall read it and post our findings here.

it is an old book, from before many of us were made, and contains outdated language and ideas. but there are still many interesting dolls to learn about. we are excited to read it.

"The doll [...] appears to have been as necessary to mankind as the vessels from which we drink"

Hey nerds (complimentary) - I'm writing a big research paper on BJD/MJD toy tourism for my MA and you can watch me work on it more-or-less in real time! (The doc updates every 5 minutes if you happen to catch me while I'm actually writing.)

It turns out that writing a research paper is really hard? and I think it would've helped me to see how the work is done, so I'm making my drafts available literally as I'm writing.

I missed the CFP deadline for this but I can't wait to read the Horror Homeroom special issue on "Dolls and Their Houses."

@museumatfit is crowdsourcing material for their upcoming exhibit!

Are you a fashion doll collector, creator, or admirer? Is there a doll from your childhood that you keep for its nostalgic value? Share your story with us for Doll Dressing, our fall 2026 exhibition that explores the history of fashion dolls and the influence of dolls on high fashion. You might be included in a digital component of our exhibition! This project is ongoing through the run of the exhibition (September 16, 2026 – January 3, 2027), but only responses received by July 1, 2026 will be considered for inclusion in the gallery.

last week, I gave a presentation (from my bed) about my research proposal! I don't know how much or what I can share before I get IRB approval but here are my slides and working bibliography (and a note about crip scholarship as a disabled academic)

Below, the Journals Editorial Manager Martha Hoffman comments on some images appearing in an article in Volume 5, Issue 1 of the journal Girlhood Studies.

Most of my work deals with text, so it was a bit of a treat when I opened up the files for this issue of Girlhood Studies and found them chock full of images of dolls. This journal covers many themes related to the challenges and dangers facing girls all over the world – it’s always such a pleasure to work on but I was particularly excited to see an issue that also speaks to the creative and serious play of girlhood. Dolls, needless to say, are cultural artefacts and reflect the society that makes them as well as the girls who play with them: an American Girl doll capturing an immigrant Jewish girlhood essentially whitewashed of tenements and the memory of pogroms; nineteenth-century paper dolls embodying both moral tales and fashion plates; Barbie and her Dream House reflecting the dimensions of modern architecture. All three of these examples are mediated by commercial culture and present tensions between cultural constructs and individual play.

Set against these icons of American girlhood are the charming, wondrous handmade dolls of April Renée Mandrona. Even before I knew anything of their origin, these images particularly spoke to me of creativity, individuality, and deep play. Raised in rural Canada, Mandrona had plenty of porcelain fashion dolls and Barbies sent to her by distant relatives and she played with them, but they clearly did not reach deeply enough into her imagination. So she made these fascinating creatures that live and breathe their own personalities. I could hardly believe the one made by her as an eight-year-old! Not to mention the fairy queen when she was twelve or the toothpick dolls when she was ten. In addition to being a source of entertainment, they helped build relationships and an empowered sense of resourcefulness that informs her adult understanding of agency.

Working with all the images in this dolls issue, I got to play with them in my own way in preparing them for print. I have to say, I never played much with dolls growing up! But even still these images have deep resonance and power.